Clarence Thomas

Clarence Thomas (23 June 1948) was an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court from 23 October 1991, succeeding Thurgood Marshall. Nominated by President George H.W. Bush, he was confirmed in a US Senate vote of 52-48 despite being accused of sexual harassment, and he became the most conservative member of the court. He was the youngest ever Supreme Court justice and the second African-American justice.

Biography
Clarence Thomas was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1948. A conservative, Thomas studied at Holy Cross College and Yale and rose through legal practice and then academic law to become George H.W. Bush's US Supreme Court nominee in 1991. He was subjected to a furious assault from womens' groups and liberals after a fellow law professor, Anita Hill, made allegations of sexual harassment against him, but he dismissed the allegations as "high-tech lynching". The controversy over his nomination raised serious questions about the US Senate's power to advise and consent. Conflating as it did issues of race and workplace sexual conduct, and demonstrating the insensitivity of the 14-strong all-male Senate Committee, the issue caught the imagination of media and public, leading to a surge in membership for the National Organization of Women in 1992.